Calendar

Westwind Weekend

of music and dance

A beautiful setting on the Oregon Coast.  A pristine, sheltered beach, tidepools galore, wildlife in the water, woods, and air, hikes that lead to superb vistas up and down the coast.  It’s a weekend at the beach, with music and friends old and new.  It’s always sunny at Westwind, AND it almost always rains.  Which is to say, any weather can happen.

A growing, family friendly community.  More than a fourth of those who attend the Westwind Weekend are young people.  Kids bring their friends.  They dig in the sand, play Frisbee, hike, play cards, dance, play music, drink hot cocoa, help out, hang out, and build lasting memories.

Non-stop music jams.  At any moment you’ll find swing favorites on the front porch, old-time in the shed, and Irish/contra tunes in the kitchen.  Some of the finest musicians in the Willamette Valley come to Westwind and are joined by folks just learning to play and everyone in between.

Contra dancing and more.  Friday and Saturday evenings feature the Westwind All Star Orchestra playing tunes, and dance programming that’s aimed at all ages and abilities. Expect family dances, contras and squares, and a set of Scandinavian favorites. Also find musicians jamming and swing or zydeco dancing underway outside the main hall.

Camper-led workshops.  Gumboot dancing, daisy chain squares, swing chords, beach talk, favorite folk songs: come with your special talent to share or learn something you’ve never heard of before. Sunday morning expect time for singing the gospel of our non-denominational love of community.

A Saturday camper concert. Enjoy listening to the crazy, creative, and sublime as your fellow campers perform, or put together your own high or low art performance and step up onto the whale bone stage.

Happy, hearty vegetarian food.  Beth Littlewolf has been our cook for 25+ years. She makes wonderful fare that brings us all together in the historic Wilson Lodge for family-style meals.  Meals at Westwind include snack Friday evening, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and early-wake up breakfast fare plus brunch on Sunday.

The Bridgetown Boys

• Victor Fiore – fiddle
• Lanny Martin – piano
• Jon Neff – guitar

We’re all experienced contra dance musicians. We’re in the Portland Megaband and, following a rehearsal, we jammed together and decided to form a band. We sound sound pretty darn good, if we say so ourselves. (Formerly named “Magpie”, then “Lanjovic”)

Tarka Ayres

Tarka Ayres credits contra dance with helping keep her mental stability through school. She started dancing in 2004 and has called dances in Oregon and Washington since 2012. Dancers appreciate her ability to integrate new dancers into the community, her clear teaching and succinct calling, and her choices of challenging dances.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

Potluck at 6:00 p.m with host Relan Colley, 745 NW 16th St; 541-753-2617. (Located near the south side of Corvallis High School and several blocks east of Fred Meyer. The closest intersection is NW Taylor & NW 16th.) Probably in the backyard if the weather is good!

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

First and Third Sundays

We will mix Balkan, Israeli and other folk dances each week, with occasional live music from Balkan, Israeli and other traditions.  Watch the calendar for announcements about special dances, but just come to each dance and learn all sorts of dances.

Gerry O’Connor
with Richard Mandel

(and afternoon workshops – see below)

From Dundalk, County Louth, Gerry O’Connor has played and recorded with such highly regarded groups as Lá Lúgh (Eithne Ní Uallacháin, Sony Music) and Skylark. Gerry has toured and recorded with members of all the legendary groups including Planxty, Bothy Band and others.  Lá Lugh’s album “Brighid’s Kiss” was voted Album of the Year 1996 by readers of the Irish Music Magazine. His solo album “Journeyman” was counted in the top five Albums of the year 2004 by the Irish Times.

Richard Mandel (guitar, tenor banjo, bouzouki) fell into the well of Irish music in the mid-‘90s and was soon driving every session he could get into.  As a first-call accompanist, Richard has performed and toured with legendary Irish musicians including Gerry O’Connor, Paddy Keenan, Jimmy Keane, Mick Maloney, Paddy O’Brien, Tony DeMarco and many others.  Richard plays in the trio Three Mile Stone with mandolinist Marla Fibish and fiddler Erin Shrader. Three Mile Stone released its debut CD, produced by John Doyle, in March 2010 and has received rave reviews.  In addition to Three Mile Stone, Richard can be heard on Christa Burch’s CD “Love of the Land”, Radim Zenkl’s, “Restless Joy”, and Tipsy House’s CD, “Sets in the City.”

[P]owerful guitar work, whether taking the form of a high-energy rhythmic input or a more intricate embellishment. —David Kidman, Living Tradition Magazine

Richard’s guitar playing is a perfect support and backdrop for Marla’s and Erin’s tune conversations. It never draws attention to itself except by its excellence and appropriateness. And he can play the snot out of the tenor banjo, too! —Roger Landes (Irish bouzouki master and Zoukfest founder)

[A] lightning right hand and spot on chord choices. He is also a precise and powerful tenor banjo player.—Kevin Carr, FolkWorks

Advance Tickets (at Grassroots Books, 227 SW 2nd St.) are recommended  as space is limited.

Afternoon Workshops on May 17 !  ($7/$5 CFS members)

2pm:  DADGAD Guitar Accompaniment w/ Richard Mandel
4pm:  Irish Tunes for all Instruments w/ Gerry O’Connor 

A reprise of a dance cancelled in December 2017 because of icy roads

The Nettles

Laura Brophy – fiddle
Kevin Johnsrude – guitars
Michael Proctor – bass
Brian Bucolo – percussion

The Nettles are well-known on the West Coast for their original approach to contra dance music. Playing traditional music from all over the world, The Nettles create a strong rhythmic groove under soaring improvisations. Rhythmic drive and melodic fluidity allow The Nettles to propel contra dances into the stratosphere. .

Michael Karcher

From New York via Seattle.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

CFS Annual Membership Meeting with Potluck at 5:00 pm (all are welcome) at South First Alternative Co-op meeting room, 1007 SE 3rd ST

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

First and Third Sundays

We will mix Balkan, Israeli and other folk dances each week, with occasional live music from Balkan, Israeli and other traditions.  Watch the calendar for announcements about special dances, but just come to each dance and learn all sorts of dances.

InTentCity

Betsy Richards – fiddle
Graham Richards – guitar, fiddle
Seth Richards – piano, bass
David Richards – percussion

From North Idaho, InTentCity is more than just a contradance band. We bring all the fun family dynamics that come with years together of living, working, playing, dancing, traveling, eating, sleeping, joking, talking, walking, singing – you get the idea. And after all this time we still cannot think of a better way to spend our time together than playing and dancing in the contradance community. During the summer we set up our big canvas wall tents and live outside. Now you know why the name.

Jacqui Grennen

Jacqui Grennan is a contra dancer, caller, and choreographer from Los Angeles. She is known for her clarity in teaching and her ability to adjust to the dancers on the floor. She breaks down the dance figures and gets dancers moving so that they can immediately feel the connection with other dancers. As a caller, Jacqui likes to put together a session of dance that is varied and enjoyable for newer dancers as well as for those who have been dancing for years.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

First and Third Sundays

We will mix Balkan, Israeli and other folk dances each week, with occasional live music from Balkan, Israeli and other traditions.  Watch the calendar for announcements about special dances, but just come to each dance and learn all sorts of dances.